Having enlisted in the U.S. Army with an M.O.S. in culinary arts, Borja jumped on the opportunity to partake in the cooking class.
“I learned a lot. I didn’t know about things like internal temperatures, preparations, and seasoning. Also, I really had to work with time management; it’s a big deal with cooking,” Borja shares. He recommends that all schools implement a program like this.
In regards to the curriculum, Borja describes how, “there was a lot of bookwork at first, but every Friday, we’d get to create a menu on the subject of the week and actually cook dishes for our teacher.”
He proclaims that the class was very productive.
“My most memorable dish was beef with hoisin sauce, the first dish I ever made in the class,” Borja comments. “It’s most memorable because hoisin sauce is actually used in lots of Asian dishes and I hadn’t realized how often I eat it.”
Borja describes his favorite part of the class: his teacher Frank Sablan who received his training from Le Cordon Bleu.
“He’s really helpful. He’s the kind of guy you can get close to. He’s hands-on and if you need help he’s always there.”
It was clear in Borja’s demeanor that he genuinely enjoyed the class. He hopes that the remaining and incoming students of Kagman High School will take advantage of this wonderful, unique program.
